“The womb that birthed greatness has finally come to see the work of my hand. It is a thing of great pride to see my mother’s hard work pay off without forgetting her hand of love on a stubborn entrepreneur who refused to come to terms with impossibility.”
Over the years, women have proven to be excellent teachers and innovative masterminds in our society, with many revolutionary names like Margaret Thatcher, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Dr. Dere Awosika, and Maiden Alex Ibru on the slate of those contributing their progressive work and impact on the global community.
In the same vein, great mothers deserve credit for raising value-based leaders who possess the tenacity of never giving up and the courage of self-confidence, while also braving up their optimism on how to create significant growth in the future.
There is a resonating story of a woman behind what it takes to build dreams, or more importantly, a trailblazing mother who discovered and nurtured the vision of her child from an early age. A great woman who played a pivotal role in helping her children recognize that they could achieve the impossible through grit and perseverance, both essential elements of the entrepreneurial spirit.
Sujimoto’s Mum Visits the Mother of all Projects – LucreziaBySujimoto
Beyond the shadows of doubt, the ever-extraordinary Queen Mother of Sujimoto Mrs. Victoria Idayat Ogundele, the woman who birthed, nurtured, and groomed the Nigerian Czar of Luxury Real Estate, Dr. Olasijibomi Ogundele, holds firmly the staff of guidance for raising an astute entrepreneur who has today transformed the real estate industry in Africa’s biggest nation.
“Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a mother like mine.”
- Dr. Sijibomi Ogundele
Mrs. Ogundele is a successful entrepreneur in her own right, a woman who, at the age of nine, was sent to Cameroon as a salesgirl but defied all odds and today is one of the biggest distributors for Nestle Nigeria Plc.
Her never-say-die attitude was relayed in full force to her son in 1997, when sixteen-year-old Olasijibomi Ogundele left the warmth of his mother and the shores of his nation in search of greener pastures in a country far from home.
Despite all the laxity of opportunities, Olasijibomi went from hawking souvenirs in the city of Nice to becoming a venture capitalist, and today he owns the largest luxury real estate company in Nigeria with record-breaking projects like the 15-storey ultra-luxurious Lucrezia project, the 33- storey Leonardo waterfront project, the audacious 44-storey Sujimoto Twin Tower – a luxurious 3-in-1 project combines residencies, hospitality, and retail in one space, the magnificent Queen Amina mixed-use project located in the prime neighborhood of Abuja, as well as the proposed Sujimoto Tower in Downtown Dubai.
His current project, LucreziaBySujimoto set to be completed as the most intricately impressive ultra-luxurious building and the tallest residential property in Banana Island, received a timely visit by Mrs. Ogundele, with her eyes glimmering with pride and her voice filled with love, she prayed and bestowed her blessings on a successful completion of the project.
The ultra-luxurious edifice, with magnificent maisonettes and two of Africa's best-designed penthouses, undoubtedly holds the record as the most sophisticated building in Nigeria, with exceptional features and facilities that are equal to none.
The Rise of the Iroko that offers hopes to many Investors.
Men are born, men are made, but a few are molded in the furnace of greatness. Despite his rise and current fame, Olasijibomi Ogundele’s life has been rife with obstacles. In a world of business often filled with egos, over-competitiveness, and cut-throat politics, the luxury real estate maestro has created one of the most audacious real estate masterpieces that Nigeria has ever seen.
Society will not quickly forget 12-12-2015, when Nigeria witnessed the unveiling of the most audacious project in the real estate industry, The LorenzoBySujimoto. Although the ambitious project couldn’t continue after going through a lot of difficulties in 2016 due to the economic recession, government policies, and a disabling environment, the only investor who said 'yes' as of then looked at the pressing economic situation and then pulled the last straw that broke the camel's back, bringing the project to a halt. The investors left and decided, "Suji, RISK we can manage; UNCERTAINTY, we can’t.
Though competition bloggers and friends marveled at the audacity of his dreams, some even mocked the brand openly online, saying, "shebi you want to build skyscraper? Oya build kitchen make we see".
“My mother reminded me of the story of Joseph, a talented young man who was sold into slavery but, through diligence, tenacity, and resilience, overcame his captivity and became the master of his own destiny.”
His mother's son, Olasijibomi was not deterred by the grueling nature of the comments, yet the first thing he did was to refund all off-takers, because he understood that money, you can lose and gain back, but reputation you can’t. Out of the 9 off-takers, only two enjoined his vision in the creation of the successful Giuliano Project. The brand has over time established cash cow projects that have seen over 200% ROI for current investors as well as stakeholders.
"The skyscraper they said we couldn’t build, today we have three under construction; we are building the Lucrezia, the Leonardo, and the Queen Amina." But our newest project is something different. A reincarnation of the successful Medici and Giuliano projects is the GiovanniBySujimoto, an ultra-luxurious waterfront project that symbolizes a noble combination of wealth, luxury, and aristocracy. The GiovanniBySujimoto consists of a limited collection of ultra-luxurious waterfront townhouses and penthouses, with state-of-the-art features and amenities." A project that consists of 33 units has almost sold out and will be fully sold out upon launch.
Also, on the list of its audacious projects is the tallest twin tower in Africa – The Sujimoto Twin Tower. A 44-storey, first-of-its-kind, one-of-a-kind 3-in-1 mega structure that combines residencies, hospitality, and retail in one space, where you can own a piece of a first 5-star plus hotel and expect a minimum of 12% ROI every year with a guaranteed return for the first 3 years.
With over eight years of operation, Sujimoto has built a reputable firm on the foundation of Diligence, Integrity and Excellence. Producing successfully scaled projects benched on the foundation laid by a mother who has spent over 50 years in one of Africa’s most populous markets, Oke-Arin, who, through resilience and prudence backed by a rich lineage of the ancient traders of Ijebu-Igbo and Ijebu Ode Heritage, has mastered the rudiments of trade in a market filled with men.
"When you look at my story, you will realise that I was fortunate to have won an ovarian lottery. I was brought up by a powerful woman, a high school dropout that I can best describe as a ‘professor’ of entrepreneurship. Any time I go to see her, she always has one or two pieces of advice to give. My Mum would always say, ‘Sijibomi, if you cannot hire ten people, hire just seven." She will tell me not to struggle to build 100 houses for people if I can afford to build only 20; this is what they call corporate integrity in modern business theory. So, having a strong woman like that sets a precedence for excellence and a foundation for prudence. My mother, Adebukola, is the backbone of who we are at Sujimoto because, without her, there would be no Sijibomi, let alone Sujimoto."
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